Stacked bricks lifter



Oct. 3, 1961 J. CAVANAGH STACKED BRICKS LIFTER 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledMarch 28, 1960 J. CAVANAGH STACKED BRICKS LIFTER Oct. 3, 1961 3Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 28, 1960 FIG. '2

Oct. 3, 1961 J. CAVANAGH STACKED BRICKS LIFTER Filed March 28, 1960 3Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG.3

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94 A 36 295 Nl/E/V To Q 32 JOHN 6/9 1/9 A/HGW United States Patent3,002,639 STACKED BRICKS LIFTER John Cavauagh, Croydon, near Sydney, NewSouth Wales, Australia, assignor to Lawrence Tootill Pty. Limited,Auburn, near Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, a company of AustraliaFiled Mar. 28, 1960, Ser. No. 18,110 Claims priority, applicationAustralia Mar. 31, 1959 3 Claims. (Cl. 214-655) This invention has beendevised to provide a lifter for stacked bricks which is mounted upon andactuated from a prime mover known generally as a fork lift truck. Thelifter is substituted for the conventional forks of such a truck. Thelifter is capable of gripping the lowermost layer of a designed stack ofbricks without the use of pallets and without damage to the bricks, forelevation and transport.

Lifters of the above type are known but the disadvantage inherent inthem is that they frequency damage the bottom layer of bricks duringelevation and transport.

According to this invention, a stacked bricks lifter consists of a frameassembly mounted on a fork-lift truck and adapted to be raised andlowered thereby. Arms are mounted on the lower end of the frame assemblyand comprise a pair of outer arms and a number of intermediate arms inspaced relationship to the outer arms. Gripper shoes are pivotally andlaterally slidably mounted on each side of the intermediate arms and onthe inside of the outer arms. Hydraulic means on the prime mover areconnected to the gripper shoes for actuating the gripper shoes, andspring means are connected to the gripper shoes and to the arms forretracting the gripper shoes.

Reference will now be made to the annexed drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a stacked bricks lifter and showing inbroken lines the relevant parts of a fork lift truck on which it is tobe mounted.

FIGURE 2 is an exploded perspective view of the frame assembly of theinvention and includes the base frame for mounting on a fork lift truck.

FIGURE 3 is an elevation of a portion of one of the outer arms.

FIGURE 4 is a section taken on the line 4-4 of FIG- URE 3.

FIGURE 5 is an elevation of a portion of one of the intermediate arms.

FIGURE 6 is a section taken on the line 66 of FIG- URE 5.

The base frame 1 is adapted to be mounted on and slide upon the postslide guides 2 of a fork lift truck 3.

The means for mounting the base frame 1 upon the truck 3 and the meansfor raising and lowering it upon the truck 3 are well known, and do notform part of this invention.

The base frame has rollers 4 mounted thereon adjacent the upper endthereof. It also has a main frame mounting axle 5 fixed medially theretoadjacent the lower edge thereof and a journal pin 6 adjacent an uppercorner thereof. The journal pin 6 is adapted to have a crosshead 7connected thereto, the crosshead 7 being mounted upon the outer end ofthe plunger of a hydraulic cylinder 9 which latter is pivotally mountedas at 10 on the main frame 11.

The main frame 11 has a mounting plate 12 fixed to the lower end thereofand this plate 12 is bored as at 13 whereby the main frame can berotatably mounted upon axle 5 on the base frame 1. There is a retainingplate 14 fixed to the upper end of the main frame 11 which is adapted tobe held in face to face sliding engagement with the base frame 1, by therollers 4. The top edge 15 of the retaining plate 14 is arcuate to allowit to remain clear of the mounting brackets of the rollers 4 when themain frame 11 is rotated relative to the base frame. The main frame 11has a compartment 16 formed in each upper corner thereof in whichtransverse shafts 17 are removably mounted and are retained by endplates 18. These shafts 17 are adapted to slidably support the saddle19. There is a mounting 20 on the main frame 11 for a hydraulic cylinder21, the plunger of which has a crosshead 22 on its outer end which isconnected as at 23 to the saddle 19, whereby the saddle 19 can be movedlaterally with relation to the main frame 11. j

The saddle 19 has aligned sleeves 24 projecting from the back thereofwhereby it is mounted upon the shafts 17 in the main frame 11, androllers 24a mounted on the lower part of the saddle 19 are adapted tobear against the main frame and provide a rolling support for the lowerend of the saddle. Stack supporting arms 25 are fixed to the lower end26 of the saddle and project outwardly therefrom in a horizontal planeand there is a connecting point 27 in the said lower end 26 to which iscoupled a hydraulic fluid line 28 from a conventional source of fluidsupply on the truck 3. The outer arms 25a have gripper shoes 29pivotally and laterally slidably mountedon the inside thereof and theinner arms 25b have like gripper shoes similarly mounted on each sidethereof, and the hydraulic line 28 is provided for actuating the grippershoes 29 through the branch lines 28a as indicated by the broken linesin FIGURE 2.

The arms 25 may be fabricated, cast or machined from the solid, and asillustrated, they are cast or machined from the solid. FIGURES 3, 5 and6 illustrate a portion of an outer arm 25a which is bored as at 30 andthere is a hydraulic cylinder 31 fixed in the bore 30. The bore 30 iscounter-bored at its outer end and a shoulder on the cylinder 31 abutsthe face of the counterbore. The hydraulic cylinder 31 is held in placeby locking screws 33. There is a plunger 34 slidable in the cylinder 31and the cylinder 31 is connected to a branch 28a of the hydraulic pipeline 28 previously referred to. The plunger 34 has rounded ends and itsouter end is in engagement with a part spherical recess 35 formed in theinner face of the gripper shoe 29a. Conventional sealing rings areprovided for the cylinder 31 and the plunger 34.

The gripper shoes 29a are mounted upon the outer arm 25a by mountingbolts 36. The bolts 36 pass through the gripper shoes 29a and have headswhich are rounded on the inner face and engage part sphericalcounterbores 37 formed in the gripper shoes 29a, whereby the grippershoes 29a can pivot on their mountings. The mounting bolts 36 each has anut 38 on its inner end slidable in bores 39 formed in the arm. 25a, andthere is a spring 40 on each bolt 36 within the bore 39 to normally drawor retract the gripper shoes 29a towards the arm 25a.

FIGURES 5 and 6 illustrate a portion of an inner arm 25b. The mountingfor the gripper shoes 2% on each side thereof is substantially similarto that described with reference to the outer arm 25a. Twin cylinders 32are formed to accommodate a pair of plungers 34 which operate inopposite directions, and the cylinders 32 are connected to a branch 28aof the hydraulic pipe line.

I claim:

1. In a stacked bricks lifter for mounting on and actuation by a forklift truck having a source of fluid supply, the combination comprising abase frame secured to said truck, a main frame, means rotatably mountingsaid main frame on said base frame, said means including a fluidoperated cylinder mounted on said main frame and connected with saidbase frame, a saddle, means slidably supponting said saddle on said mainframe, means for moving said saddle laterally relative to said mainframe, a plurality of stack supporting arms fixed to the lower end ofsaid saddle and extending horizontally outwardly therefrom, a pluralityof gripper shoes pivotally and laterally slidably mounted on the opposedfaces of'said arms to provide full face contact with the bricks engagedtherebetween, hydraulic fluid lines associated with each of said arms,means connecting said lines with the source of fluid supply of saidtruck, at least one cylinder in said arms and connected to saidhydraulic fluid lines, a plunger slidable in said cylinder and engaginga related gripper shoe to move said shoe laterally of said arm Whenfluid pressure is applied to said cylinder, and retracting means carriedby said arms and connected to each of said gripper shoes to normallyretract said shoe toward its related arm.

2. A stacked bricks lifter according to claim 1 wherein the means formoving said saddle laterally relative tosaid main frame includes a fluidoperated cylinder having one end secured to said main frame, a plungerwithin said cylinder, a rod connected to said plunger the outer end ofsaid rod pivotally connected to said saddle.

3. A stacked bricks lifter according to claim 1 wherein said retractingmeans comprises at least one bolt slid able within a bore disposedtransversely of said arm, said bolt secured at its outer end to arelated gripper shoe, and spring means on each bolt and within saidbore, said spring means normally retracting said shoe towards itsrelated arm.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

